Kishibe no Tabi is a hauntingly beautiful and melancholic film that explores themes of love, loss, and the lingering presence of the past. The story follows a woman who is unexpectedly reunited with her deceased husband, embarking on a surreal journey together to visit the places and people he cared about before his death. The film blends reality and the supernatural in a quiet, understated way, making it feel both eerie and tender at the same time. The cinematography is stunning, with serene landscapes that mirror the emotional depth of the story. It's a slow, contemplative film that gently examines the complexities of grief and the healing process. If you're looking for a quiet, emotional journey, Kishibe no Tabi is a deeply moving experience.

Have you ever been in a foreign country and got on a bus, but as you're new in town you're unsure as to whether you got on the right bus or not? You sit on the slow progressing journey, watching the buildings and landscape go by, wondering if you will end up at your intended destination. While you might see some nice things a long the way, the journey is quite an uncomfortable and unsatisfying one.

Anyway, enough about my trip to Tallinn (...and then I got off the bus).

Mizuki (Eri Fukatsu) is a widow who works as a piano teacher. One day, out of the blue, her dead husband Yusuke (Tadanobu Asano) arrives home as if from a typical day at work. They decide to go on a journey so Yusuke can take Mizuki to some of the places of his life. They start by meeting Shimakage (Masao Komatsu) who employed Yusuke at his newspaper distribution depot.

Mizuki learns a lot about Yusuke, but there is also a sense of mystery around the current status of the depot, with Shimakage's sentimentality towards objects that are no longer of use. Left somewhat confused, they move on to a gyoza restaurant where Yusuke worked with a married couple. Again, the past lingers over the atmosphere.

More less-than-usual stop-offs occur before they finally arrive at the shore, where Mizuki can finally lay Yusuke to rest.

Now, all the elements of good filmmaking are present here: steady cinematography; good acting; good production values. But you also have a sense that it is how the Academy view good filmmaking: bland. The elements may be there, but a good film they do not make. While you can't technically fault too much, it's simply all too ordinary and is, therefore, difficult to invoke any emotional investment.

The scene continually changes, with new characters frequently introduced. Kiyoshi Kurosawa has to generate emotion in every scene rather than let it come out naturally. This results in a soundtrack used to let you know how you're meant to be feeling right now, building up to the emotional pay-off. But it rarely comes.

As a ghost story, the rules of how ghosts work within the real world are about as confusing as the UK government's COVID-19 strategy, in that they are seemingly made-up to suit each scene as necessary. The 'it was just a dream'/'they were ghosts' reveals, therefore, don't come with gasps, but more sighs of boredom.

"Journey to the Shore", therefore, is something of a disappointment. A director who can make a good film - though admittedly is very inconsistent - working with a good cast and good production values comes nowhere near to being the sum of its parts. And all do their job, but perhaps that's the problem in that it just all feels a bit like they're going through the motions to get to the end. This is crying out for an unconventional shot or a comic turn from Asano. But this journey doesn't want to stray too far off the straight and narrow.

In the end, you get to your destination. But it was quite long, and quite boring. You've passed through a nice suburb to get there, but next time, hey driver, take the not-so-scenic route.

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